The Pack Chronicles: Pitch
by SixthOfLorien
Summary: Haley Purser has never trusted anyone, so how did her life end up in the hands of complete strangers, including Paul Lahote of all people? La Push may look simple, but making the wrong friends can get you killed in this town, & in the 2nd installment of TPC, Haley learns that taking a walk on the wild side is more dangerous than it sounds.
1. Welcome Home!

I wasn't surprised that people were staring. They had a way of doing that in La Push whenever something new and shiny made an appearance.

The amount of attention we got just by driving through the town made me turn scarlet. One of my many downfalls, I'd turn beet red if someone even glanced in my direction. The staring was the most annoying part. I mean wasn't it rude? Wasn't it common courtesy to keep your eyes AWAY from other people? Granted I could barely look someone in the eye when they spoke to me, so what did I know about socialization anymore?

I rolled my eyes and sank further into the passenger seat, Mom chuckling quietly to herself as if something was funny.

"What?" I asked quietly, trying to hold back my own smile. She looked a lot like Ya-Ya when she grinned, not that I'd tell her that. She'd probably strangle me. Oh, right. I forgot. Ya-Ya is Mom's sister, the one I'm getting shipped off to live with. If you asked Mom, it was "productive relocation that would better us all in the long run." I called it she didn't want me, and therefore I was being handed over to the nearest relative. The truth was, we were both wrong. Mom was getting a new job in New York, which was not only halfway across the nation, it was also more than a 20 hour drive away from my Dad, which was out of the question for the custody deal.

Part of me wanted to wring her skinny little neck. I mean, if she'd really wanted to, she could've turned the job down. She could've stayed with me and Aldin, my 3 year old brother who was currently snoozing away in the back seat, his thick black hair sticking to his forehead the way it always did. It wasn't like I would never see her again, but I couldn't help but feel that some sort of abandonment was lodging itself in the middle of my chest, and that in some sort of sense she felt relieved to get rid of us-as if she was finally getting her long distraught, worn-out dream of being able to escape back to a time where she had no kids, no responsibilities.

Whatever. La Push is stupid.

"Who knows, maybe you'll find some new friends around here." Mom suggested, watching a group of teenagers bob across the road. I rolled my eyes again.

"I liked my old friends."

"I'm not surprised, it took you years to make them." Mom grumbled. She never was very fond of my shy demeanor. It wasn't that I didn't like people, I actually loved people, it was just that you never knew how they were going to treat you. I mean after all, here was my mother, the woman who gave birth to me, and she was hauling me off to some old, decrepit town so that she could go re-live her college dream fantasy. If she couldn't be reliable, who could? It was a shame how quickly people were able to trust strangers. Didn't anybody ever learn?

"I'm sorry," Mom murmured after some time, guilt coating her tone. "That was mean. I shouldn't have said it."

"You were right, so there's really no reason to draw it out." I snapped, keeping my eyes on the trees. Mom was quiet again.

"Sweetie I just think you need to learn how to be a little more…open."

"Right."

"Hale-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

And with that, the conversation was over. Aldin stirred in the backseat, his yawn filling the car.

"Morning kiddo." I smiled, turning in my seat to face him. He grinned at me, a perfect set of square, white teeth flashing as he did so.

"Here we are." Mom grinned, her face warming up although she never really was fond of this place. I winked at Aldin, who giggled lightly.

The house was beautiful, that much I couldn't lie about. It was dark brown, and two stories, with white lights strung along the porch. The windowpanes were cherry-wood auburn with black knobs, like back in the renaissance times. The front door was wide, with long stain-glassed windows stretching from top to middle.

I pulled myself out of the car gingerly, my dark curls shifting against my shoulders. For once, I was grateful for the unruly mop-it was keeping me warm. YaYa practically exploded from the house, Adam laughing as he strolled out of the house behind her.

"Jeez, Ya. Don't give the poor child a heart attack." He scolded as my aunt crushed me in a hug. She pulled away from me, her black, straight, strands framing her oval face, her black eyes glinting in the grey sky light.

"Welcome home," She murmured, studying me as if she was deciding something. "You'll fit right in around here."

Fit right in? First off, I wasn't even full Native American. My MOM was Quileute, and my Dad was black, making me some sort of weird AfricaNativeAmerican love child. Second, my features looked nothing like that of a Quileute. My face was heart shaped, with a small but full-lipped mouth. My nose was somewhat wide, but I'd luckily taken after my Mom when it came to the almond-shaped eyes. They were large, and dark, with thick lashes.

"Thanks." I murmured, grabbing a few of my bags and heading towards the door.

Adam pulled all three of them out of my hand with ease, as if they weighed the same amount as an empty cardboard box. I raised an eyebrow at him. The guy was huge. At least "6'4", with short black hair and the shoulders of a line-backer. He looked like he could take on an army tank and win, although his massive body didn't go along with his chubby cheeks and large baby eyes at all. I had to stifle a giggle just looking at him.

I looked over my shoulder at Mom and YaYa. We'd only been here for five minutes and they were already arguing about something, although the words were hard to make out.

"-doesn't belong here and you know it-"

"This is the safest place-"

"You expect her to get caught up in these God forsaken fairytales just because you-"

"Ignore them," Adam murmured, watching them warily. "You'll be okay here, I promise." I watched as Yaya crossed her arms and glared at Mom's black Lancer as it pulled away from the driveway. Mom shot me a fearful look before driving off.

I nodded, although I was still confused. Why had everyone made it sound like I was worried that I was in some sort of trouble or something? This was just a job fluke, a quick hand off of kids, right? So why was everyone except me afraid for my safety?

"Welcome home, babydoll." Adam smiled before walking into the house. I looked up at the silver sky and chewed on my bottom lip.

"Welcome home."


	2. Friendly

I didn't sleep for the first week. I kept thinking about my parents, about what they were doing and whether or not they missed me. I'm sure they did, I was almost positive, but there was still some aching part of me that kept saying if that was the case, they would've stayed together-they would've stayed with me and Aldin.

Uncle Adam's huge, booming laugh bled through my window from the front yard, and I figured if there was something funny outside I might as well go and find it before it escaped. I rolled out of my thick, light green sheets and pulled a pair of red cotton shorts out of the white dresser.

After seeing the room YaYa and Adam had decorated for me, I almost felt guilty for not wanting to live with them. The walls were white except for the one opposite the bed, at the south of the room. That focus wall was light green. The walls were covered in built-in bookshelves that matched the color of the sheets, with no shelf left empty. After Adam had spotted my favorite Superman t-shirt, he'd personally gone down to the bookstore and cleared out any Marvel or DC comic known to La Push. A few superhero posters covered the wall, along with an Avatar one. The furniture was all light green, including the Victorian style desk pushed against the focus wall, and the two night stands on either side of the bed. The carpet was shaggy and light green, and stepping on it bare-footed felt like sand. If they'd read my mind during the entire trip here, they probably would've put me in a cardboard box and called it a day.

I ruffled my dark curls a bit before leaving the room. They were still messy, but whenever I'd slept on them, they turned into long, loose waves. My cheeks were a bit red, and my eyes a little sleepy looking, but I trudged down the steps anyway.

The smell of eggs and bacon was wafting through the entire house, and I could hear YaYa singing in the kitchen before I even made it all the way down the steps. I grinned, peeking around the door. She looked like she belonged in a high school movie, with her dark hair piled in a perfectly messy bun on top of her head, dancing along with the radio.

I kept quiet and passed through the hallway, the clean frigid air washing over me as I pulled open the front door. The porch felt like ice underneath my feet. Adam was in the front yard, along with three other men. They were all watching Aldin as he pedaled a new tricycle across the curb, talking and laughing amongst themselves. The tallest one saw me first and turned his head, raising a curious eyebrow.

Adam turned next, grinning at me. My cheeks went hot immediately. I probably looked like an ass, just standing there in Superman pajamas and frizzy hair.

"Morning sunshine," Adam smiled. "Try not to look like you just murdered someone, will ya?"

"Morning." I choked, still feeling awkward. The tallest man shifted a gaze between Adam and I.

"Oh, Oh!" Adam cried, as if it just dawned on him that I was present. "Sam, this is my niece Haley. Haley, this is Sam, and this is Paul and his father Jonathan."

Sam held his hand out and I took it, still somewhat appalled by his appearance. He was huge too, if not bigger, along with Jonathan and Paul.

"Strong handshake for such a small girl," Sam laughed. "Nice to meet you. I live right across the street with my wi-yep, there she is." He grinned, suddenly transfixed by the woman crossing the street.

She was flawless. Well, one half of her face was. The other was marred by three, thick, long gashes that went from her eyebrow to her lip, setting part of her expression in a permanent frown, although she was still beautiful nonetheless. Her long, thick black mane hung in perfect silky strands-she was beautiful enough to make me envious, and even though I could have mulled over how pretty she was for days, I was smart enough not to stare.

"Haley, this is my beautiful wife Emily. Emily, this is Haley. She's staying with YaYa and Adam."

The woman grinned warmly at me and handed me a cookie out of the basket she was carrying.

"Thank you!" I grinned, scarfing it down. Mom never would've let me eaten it, which is why I was savoring the moment. "Holy crap these are perfect, how'd you make these?"

"I'd be happy to share my recipe!" Emily smiled. "Gets kinda lonely in that house sometimes."

"Consider me your new best friend then," I laughed, hoping it wasn't too forward. Where was all this courage coming from? "These things are delicious.

"Haley," Adam said next, clapping another man on the back. "This is Jonathan Lahote, Paul's father."

I smiled and waved at the short but stocky man, taking in his dimples and strong jaw. He looked like he was only in his 20's, but there was no way. Behind the beautiful features you could see worry lines, creases formed in his forehead from furrowing his thick brows far too many times.

"Hey Mr. Lahote."

"Well aren't you pretty!" he grinned, pulling me into a hug. "You're gonna have a case on your hands if you don't keep an eye on these boys, Adam. This girl's something else."

I blushed at the words, but Emily nudged me and flashed me a smile.

"Somethin else is a good thing," she reassured me with a giggle. "No one wants to look at the same thing every day of forever."

"I do." Sam corrected her, staring at her face adoringly. I wanted to gag. Love. Gross. People. Grosser.

"Pardon me if it's rude, but you're not whole Quileute, are you?" Mr. Lahote asked, studying my face. I shook my head, nibbling on my cookie as my massive waves bristled against my cheeks.

"I'm mixed. Half black, half Native American."

"Well, you're something to look at let me tell you, you're beautiful as ever," Mr. Lahote promised again. I decided that maybe he wasn't so bad as I blushed. However, afterwards he confused me. He turned to Adam and Sam. "Perhaps it won't be so bad after all, yeah? Don't they have to be full blooded for it to happen?"

"Who knows," Adam shrugged. "But that's the last thing I wanna worry about right now."

"Worry about what?" I cut in. They all looked at me with nervous grins.

"Don't worry, they gossip like old women." I turned to face the next man, only to find…he wasn't…a man. He was a God. And Angel. Holy, Hell, he was the very definition of beautiful. I stopped mid-bite of my cookie, my face flaming immediately as every muscle in my body became electrified.

He had an oval shaped face with a strong jaw like his father, his thin but soft lips set in a mischievous grin. His short, spikey black hair stuck up in all different directions, but the color matched his eyes, which were rimmed with lashes heavier than my own. He had smooth coppery skin that looked like satin and honey, and he flashed me a set of perfectly white teeth as soon as we locked eyes.

The entire outdoors got quiet, I felt like even a bird miles away had frozen mid-flight just for the moment. Sam flickered his eyes between us curiously, but Adam just looked annoyed. Jonathan started grinning.

"Haley…meet my son Paul."

I stuck my hand out slowly, and for a moment, Paul looked like he might take it. Sam watched him warily, tensing as if he'd have to do something irrational within a split second and for a second I was worried. Sam shifted, and Paul's eyes flickered to him, and then to Emily. The second he saw her, he yanked his hand back, looking at me grudgingly, as if I'd pissed in his Cheerios this morning or something.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, my voice coming out weak and frail. Paul shoved off and promptly turned on his heels, jogging back to his house and slamming the door behind him.

Everything was beyond awkward. I stood there for a few seconds, my hand drifting in the air as if it were waiting for him to come back. I didn't even know the kid. Hell, it was the first time I'd ever met him, and it still felt like he'd just curb-stomped my heart or something.

"Don't worry about him," Jonathan said hurriedly. "He's just…."

"Bad news." Adam grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"He doesn't seem so bad to me." I lied.

"He wouldn't." Sam sighed. I raised an eyebrow at him, but Emily waved him off, stepping in front of him.

"The boys around here are a little moody. Ignore them." She dug around in her pocket as I stole another glance at the porch. What had I done that was so awful? I didn't look bad, did I? I mean yeah, I'd just woken up, but-

My thoughts were interrupted by a large tearing sound followed by a howl. I didn't need a mirror to know my eyes were as big as dinner plates. All the men looked at Emily and I before awkwardly pardoning themselves.

"Lots of weird animals around here," Em explained, smiling nervously before flipping open her cellphone. She dialed a quick number before holding it to the side of her face. "Kim, it's Emily. There's somebody you absolutely have to meet."


	3. Kim Cameron and Sweet Treats

Kim, in a word, was loud. Beyond loud, maybe even obnoxious, but that was only a word you used when you didn't like people, and I-just like everyone else I assumed- LOVED Kim. She was funny, and witty, and just about everything I'd kill to be. Everywhere she went, people looked at her and Emily like they were either something to fear, or something to worship.

"It's the boys," Kim said matter-of-factly, as if I was supposed to understand what that meant. "We're only known because we have them. You don't come across boys like ours every day."

In a sense, she was right. After seeing the rest of Paul's friends, I understood immediately why everyone might think they were a little odd. First off, they all looked like they were at least 25, which was hilarious, seeing as they were all still in high school. Hell, Sam was the only one graduated, and that had happened about two months ago when he was in his senior year. After meeting Jared and Embry, I started to question if there was something in the water around this town. It was just too odd- a bunch of 6 foot tall man-boys with ridiculous amounts of muscle and perfect features-none of it made sense to me, but to wish that they were normal would mean wishing Paul was normal, and that just wasn't possible.

I couldn't help but think about him every so often. It'd been days since he ran over my soul with a tow-truck, but I was still stuck on him. Stuck on his perfect face, stuck on his beautiful wide shoulders, stuck on the fact that his voice made me want to melt into a puddle of velvet. He was flawless. And he hated me.

"I'm sure he doesn't DIS-like you," Kim reassured me when I admitted my fears. "They all start out like that, trust me."

"Start out like what?" I asked, as Emily elbowed her. Kim didn't answer my question, but she grumbled something about Jared Thail being one of the hardest nuts she'd ever had to crack in her entire lifetime.

"So what do you do for fun in California?" Emily asked, nibbling on a brownie as we sat in the bakery. "Are there hot boys? Surfing? Late parties?" She sounded like your typical tourist.

"Hot boys? To Hell with all of them," I shot, causing both girls to raise their eyebrows at me. "Surfing, yes, but if you're bad at it, you'll be laughed off the beach. And parties…aren't too much of my scene."

"So you're a nerd." Kim stated, as if it were a question, but not really. Emily elbowed her again, and I laughed.

"Nah, I'm not a _nerd _per se, I jus-"

"So you're a nerd." Kim repeated.

"What she means is-"

"What I mean, is she's a nerd," Kim laughed, shooting Emily a look. She turned her focus back on me. "So you've never been to a party?"

I could feel myself turning scarlet.

"I mean, I've been to a couple of birthday things….when I was like seven…."

"Oh heaven help this child."

"Don't listen to Kim, she's broken."

"I'm not broken, I'm adventurous."

"Oh, I've never been the type for that." I laughed nervously, staring at my hands. Kim pointed a chocolaty finger at me.

"Well you better learn to be, especially if you're running with our crew from now on. Then again it's not really like you have a choice, what with Pau-HIT ME ONE MORE TIME EMILY. IT ME ONE MORE TIME. I DUR YOU. I DUR YOU TA HIT ME."

I was about to ask where in the Hell Kim had learned such a convincing ghetto-girl accent when Jared strolled through the front door with Embry and Quil trailing behind him.

"I thought I smelled something sweet." He smiled, pecking Kim on the cheek. She blushed, although I didn't get it. We were sitting in a bakery. Everything was sweet in here.

"Whatsup Buttercup?" Embry asked, taking a seat next to me. "Getting tormented by the Troublesome Twins?"

"Troublesome Twins?" Emily cried, clearly offended as Quil sat beside her.

"Oh hush, Em, after that last stint you and Kim pulled with the car accident, you've been labeled bad news."

"Car accident?" I asked, passing Embry a cookie. Emily rolled her eyes, along with Kim, who was shoving a brownie in Jared's face.

"Emily and I have a knack for getting in trouble." Kim explained.

"We do NOT get in trouble," Em corrected, although by the look on her face I could tell she was guilty anyways. "We simply…."

"Push the envelope?"

"Stretch the horizons?"

"Go bat shit insane with dumbass ideas that NOBODY else even thinks of?"

The two girls glared at the boys, huffing in defeat.

"They'll get you killed." Quil murmured with a smile.

"Fantastic," I grumbled. "I finally make friends and they're insane." I smiled anyways though, a sense of family and comfort washing over me.

"Are you kidding? Everyone in town would LOVE to be your friend. Hell, they'd love to get a good look at you." Embry sighed, shaking his head. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're the new shiny toy," Jared laughed, stealing a bite of Kim's food. "Everybody's talking about you like you're some sort of celebrity."

"Not to mention she's a dime," Embry shrugged, rolling his eyes at Quil's scolding look. "What? What Paul doesn't know won't kill him."

"Paul," I repeated his name, taking a bite of cookie. "Why does that kid hate me?"

"Hate you? Why would he hate you, you're his-"

Emily kicked Embry in the shin. I reminded myself to watch what I say when around her.

"Neighbor," Embry finished painfully, rubbing his knee. "Why would he hate such a lovely neighbor?" Quil rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you should just try talking to him." Jared tried.

"Speak of the devil…" Quil murmured. Everyone followed his gaze to the door, where Paul Lahote himself strolled in like the God he was. He shot Embry a look before rounding the table and wedging himself between Quil and Emily.

"Well hello Beautiful," Embry teased him. "We were just talking about you."

"Were you?" Paul smirked, crossing his toned forearms and raising a perfect, thick eyebrow.

"Mhmm, Haley here especially had a lot to say."

Paul's expression shifted from cocky to embarrassed, then to seriously worried. He stared at me, as if waiting for me to pull out a gun or something.

"No I didn't," I laughed nervously, turning bright red again. "I didn't, not at all."

"Awe, she looks like a tomato!" Kim pressed, mock adoration in her tone. Emily kicked her again. I sighed and sank down in my chair.

"We hear you weren't very friendly during your first run-in." Quil said, raising an eyebrow at my angel. Paul blushed almost as deep as I did.

"Yeah…I …sorry. Bad timing." He murmured. I raised my hands.

"No problem." I said stupidly. Really? That's ALL that could come out of my mouth?

"ANYWAYS," Emily cut in, thankfully. "Anybody know what's in two weeks?"

"Fourth of July!" Kim cheered, bouncing up and down in her chair excitedly. Emily nodded her head.

"Mhmm, and everyone's invited to me and Sam's place."

"Who's ready to raid the firecracker store?" Embry cheered, earning a few dirty looks from our neighbors. I blushed. I didn't need anybody in this town thinking we were obnoxious or something.

"And of course, our guest of honor this year will be Miss Haley Purser."

"Me? No, no way."

"Oh come on Princess, don't tell me you're afraid of a few fireworks." Paul smirked, eying me. I rolled my eyes.

"No," I snapped. "I just don't want to intrude is all. SOME of us have manners."

"Oooooooo." Embry murmured, instigating.

"Careful, you don't wanna end up like the last guest of honor." Kim smirked.

"What happened to the last guest of honor?" I asked worriedly, looking at Emily.

"She got turned into a vampire." Embry stated simply, looking at me. Everyone studied my face.

"Right. A vampire," I laughed. "Let me guess, before her came Santa Claus?"

They all shifted awkwardly in their seats, and I silently swore at myself. Maybe that joke wasn't funny enough to use out loud.

"ANYWAYS, FIRECRACKERS," Emily cut-in again. I almost laughed at how good she was at this. "Embry's in charge of them this year."

"YES. BOOYAH." More dirty looks. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyways, everybody's invited, and I mean _everybody_ this time, alright? That includes Bella's family."

"Bella? Bella who?"

"Our last guest of honor." Kim smiled. I Shrugged. I'd never heard of any Bella, but then again, I was new to all this.

"No, no way." Paul shot immediately, his hands shaking slightly. Jared raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? Look, after Jacob and Ness we all swore we were gonna-"

"I don't want them coming and you all KNOW why. Jared, wouldn't you want Kim as far away as possible from those things?"

"That's different." Jared's expression hardened, and temperature seemed to be flying sky high, the air suddenly turning thick and hot.

"It's not different. If they're going then we're not." Paul shot, glancing at me.

"Oh come on Princess," I chided. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a few fireworks."

Paul narrowed his eyes at me, but I could've swore I saw a smile playing on his lips as his hands relaxed and curled out of their fists. Jared sat back in his seat victoriously. Embry leaned back in his chair and oooo'd again, Paul kicking his chair over so quickly that no one even had time to warn the poor kid.

Embry glared at him from the floor, rubbing his butt.

"You'll pay for that later." He grumbled. Paul rolled his eyes as Jared and Quil started making bets.

"So that's it then?" Kim smiled. "You're officially part of the crew!"

"NOOOOOT officially," Embry smiled. Paul glared at him and began shaking his head as if to warn him of something. "She still has to jump."

"Take her to that goddamn cliff and I'll kill you." Paul snarled, shooting out of his seat. I stared up at him wide-eyed, his frame looking even larger now that it was trembling.

"Paul," Jared said calmly. "Maybe it's time to go."

"No, let him stay." Embry chided, rising out of his own chair. The bakery had quieted down to a dangerous silence.

"Paul…" I squeaked, unsure of why I was getting involved. Paul's expression broke immediately as he looked down towards me, his shaking ceasing immediately. He glared at Embry one last time before shoving past him and exiting.

Quil started clapping.

"And yet another gloriously dramatic exit." He cried in mock praise. I rolled my eyes.

"Paul has a bit of a temper on him." Emily explained.

"They all do," Kim grouched, earning a kiss on the cheek from Jared. "Paul's just the worst."

"How come?" I asked, looking back out the window as if to find him. Quil shrugged.

"He's always been like that really."

"Great, maybe this girl really is God-sent," Embry smiled, sitting in his seat as if nothing had happened. "She seems to be the only one who can keep him in check."

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat as the small talk continued.


	4. Monkey Wrench

"We're giving you a makeover."

"Come anywhere near me with that bloody makeup back of yours, and I'll chop your hair off in your sleep."

"YOU WOULDN'T."

"Try me, Kim."

I could practically feel her rolling her eyes over the phone, and I smirked, although I knew she was an opponent I couldn't ward off for long. Kim had been trying, literally for days, to turn me into her own personal Barbie doll. She'd kill to let me give her free reign over my face, but I was not having it.

"Haley Purser you are quite possibly the most horrid person I've ever met."

It was my turn to roll my eyes this time.

"Give up, KimmyPoo," I smiled victoriously, plopping down on the couch. "Makeup and I just don't go hand-in-hand."

"You suck at being adventurous."

"Yeah, I don't get along with adventure too well either."

"Which is WHYYYY…."

"Why what?" I groaned.

"Why if you don't let me give you a makeover, I just might have to talk to YaYa, and Lord knows the kind of power she holds over you, what with being your legal guardian and all…"

"You wouldn't…" I hissed, sitting up on the couch with wide, fearful eyes.

"Oh I would," Kim coaxed devilishly. "If you won't let me do it the easy way, Yas and I will just have to jump you the hard way."

I flung myself back on the couch and whined like a dying whale, Kim snickering on the other end of the phone. Adam raised his eyebrows as he walked past me and grabbed the keys to the truck off the hall table. AHA! ESCAPE!

"AHHH, KIM, I'D LOVE TO GO WITH YOU, I REALLY WOULD, BUT ADAM AND I WERE JUST ABOUT TO HEAD OFF TO THE GARAGE." I cried, shooting Adam a pleading look as he tried to stifle his booming laughter.

"WHAT? NO FAIR, NO WAY THAT'S SUCH A LOAD OF SHI-"

"SORRY KIM GOTTA GO." I hit the end button quicker than I ever had before, grinning apologetically at my Uncle.

"Blackmailing you into a makeover again?"

I nodded and pouted , sticking my bottom lip out like a child as Adam laughed again. "You better actually tag along then, Lord knows Kim's gonna call YaYa so they can start making battle plans."

"Really?" I beamed, raising my eyebrows. Adam nodded, leading the way to the truck.

The leather seat was freezing underneath my legs as I sat down.

"You'll have to get used to the cold, Cali-girl, or else you'll end up freezing to death. Learn how to dress."

"Pfft, me, dressing inappropriately for this weather?" I smirked, staring down at my Nike shorts and sneakers.

"Hales, you're wearing a tank top."

"You're wearing overalls."

"Overalls are warm."

"But ugly, so perhaps we're both doing something wrong here." I chided, giggling at Adam's expression.

"Whatever, I can still get down, you know I' still hip, I'm still fly."

"Adam I love you but you're about as fly as tacky cowboy wallpaper."

"You're killin me, kid."

I grinned, watching out the window as we sped down the slick roads. La Push was something to look at. When people think of small towns, all that flashes across their minds are people with yellow teeth and cows everywhere you look-but that was far from the case. Yes, the town was boring, but it was flawless. Lush green covered almost everything, only contrasted by the thick, dark brown trunks of trees as tall as skyscrapers. The sky was usually cloudy, but if you looked hard enough, the gloomy overcast became a sheet of silvery light that bathed everything on the Earth.

"How have I never been to this place?" I whispered in awe, watching the waves lap at the sand as we passed the beach.

"You have," Adam corrected. "You probably just don't remember. You were actually born here."

"You're kidding." I tested, eying him.

"Nope, lived here for two whole years until you moved to California."

"Why'd we leave?" I asked, wondering if he'd answer honestly. I'd been asking Mom since she told me I'd have to come here, but she never gave me the full story.

"That's ahh….that's a pretty long-"

"We have time." I interrupted, before he could finish his excuse.

"Well….alright, so basically-" The next few words were interrupted with a long string of curse words and Adam slamming on the breaks. "Sorry, sorry," he panted, regaining control of the truck. "There's a horrid pothole along this road, it's killer."

"What happened to the road?" I asked, trying to calm myself down.

"Construction accident a long time ago, left a HUGE hole in the side of the street. After a couple years, it iced over ya know, but Lord knows that stuff is gonna crack one of these days."

"What's in the hole now?"

"Nothing but icicles I imagine." Adam huffed. I nodded, the both of us staying quiet for the rest of the ride.

When we finally pulled up to the garage, a sense of calm had washed over me. I'd learned over the past two weeks that La Push had a way of doing that to me-calming me down without even trying. There was something about the trees, something about the thick, frigid air that was so clean it made me feel pure and whole again.

Adam's garage was cozy. It was about the size of a gas station, with wide double doors that always looked like they were open. There was a small, neat, modern waiting room with an intern's desk behind which a small, tan woman sat. She had pointy features and small, beady black eyes, but her lips were full and the perfect shade of pink. Her name was Amanda, but her snide tone brought about my decision of not liking her already. In the actual shop, there were four large platforms, two of which were already occupied with some of Adam's men hard at work underneath the cars. Tool benches were scattered about the room, with thick large wires coated in rubber draping across the ceiling, a few of them swinging free. I smiled. This felt like a safe place.

"You gotta be kidding." An annoyingly familiar voice chided behind me. I turned, Paul Lahote smirking at me as he rolled from underneath a black Toyota.

Even when wearing nothing but blue jeans with soot smeared across his right cheek, he was still flawless.

"Happy to see me?" I teased, crossing my arms. Adam rolled his eyes and lumbered away.

"Be right back." He grumbled, shaking his head as he walked.

"Happy to see the Princess in a grease shop? Of course I am, who wouldn't want to watch you make a fool of yourself?"

My face twisted up in offended annoyance.

"Me, make a fool of myself? Coming from the one wearing no shirt while underneath an exposed V-12 engine? Mhmm, I'm the dumb one."

"So you've Googled a few things," Paul smirked. "Doesn't make you a mechanic. Besides, it makes me feel more in tune with the engine."

"Everybody knows you're supposed to wear a shirt when working underneath the engine. Spark plugs burn like Hell, you don't need Google to figure that out."

Paul slid farther out from underneath the car and sat up, resting an arm on his knee, a wrench in his opposite free hand.

"So maybe you do know a thing or two…" he mused, staring at me as if I were a book, filled with words he didn't quite understand.

"Of course I do, I'm not reta-" I started to snap, before Adam walked over.

"Alright, alright, alright. Enough of your bickering, Paul, no stealing my helper for today. This way, Hales."

I stuck my tongue out at Paul before walking off behind Adam.

"This here," my Uncle mused with a triumphant grin, stopping beside a large vehicle hidden by a thick tan sheet. "Is my baby." Adam whipped off the cloth, revealing a black glossy Corvette.

He laughed as my jaw hit the floor.

"There's no way…is this a 2011 ADV1?" I exclaimed, half the garage turning towards the sound of my excited shriek. Adam roared with more laughter.

"Yes Ma'am!" he cheered proudly. "Saved her from a junk yard after she was in a bad wreck, been workin' on her for a year now."

"Holy crap…." I murmured in awe, running my fingers over the shiny hood.

As Paul opened another one of the garage doors so that a man in a black Jeep Wrangler could drive through, something caught the light in the corner, glinting and catching my gaze.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to another hooded vehicle.

"That thing? Bad news." Adam huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Bad news?" I asked him again, moving towards it. I ripped the sheet off, revealing a dingy grey busted up 2009 Mustang. The windshield was shattered, and it was missing three tires. As I popped the hood, I came to realize that it was missing an engine as well. "This poor baby…." I grimaced, looking at it with pity. "What the Hell happened to this thing?"

"Ronald here thought we could save her as well, but Lord knows none of us have any idea where to start. It's more of a, uh….hold-off project, for when everything else is finished." Adam explained, a short, stocky, blonde haired man waving to me. That must be Ronald.

"I got tired of her!" He shrugged innocently. "What can I say, my hands only enjoy the same surfaces for so long." I had a feeling he wasn't just talking about cars anymore.

"Can it, Ron. You might like the young ones but she's off-limits." Paul called from underneath his car. He slid out and greeted the man with the black Jeep Wrangler, pointing him to a platform where he could fix his shift gears.

"Please, with all the tail you get around here you've got no room to talk." Another man called, smirking. Paul turned bright red, rolling his eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he looked away quickly.

"You can't just keep ignoring this car," I murmured to Adam, raising my eyebrows at him. "It could be beautiful."

"If you fix her up, you can have her." Adam shrugged. My jaw hit the floor again.

"YOU MEAN IT?" I cried, wide-eyed. Adam smiled and nodded.

"What's all the commotion?" Mr. Lahote asked, strolling in like an older version of Paul.

"Adam just handed off that heap of junk to Haley here." Ron called from underneath an olive green Toyota.

I looked down at the car and frowned. It was not a heap of junk, and nobody was handing it off to me. I WANTED it, I loved it, and I felt some sort of connection with it, like we were two unwanted items that just needed passing down until we finally landed in the hands of the right person.

"Good luck with that." Mr. Lahote laughed as he kissed my temple, although I could tell he thought my attempts at fixing the poor thing would be fruitless.

"She'll need all the help she can get with that damn thing." Paul sighed, shaking his head.

"Then why don't you help her?" Mr. Lahote asked coyly, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"No," I protested immediately. Mr. Lahote looked at me, and as Paul opened his mouth to say something, it looked like I'd punched him in the face. "I can do it myself." I said in a softer tone, trying not to hurt his feelings.

Paul didn't have a cocky retort this time, and instead turned to a pale, stocky man who'd exited the Jeep. He had deep golden eyes and a baby like smile, with dimples as deep as that pothole in the road. He was mesmerizing, but the tension had shifted in the room, as if someone was about to get their throat ripped out.

"Anyways," I murmured half to myself. "I'm gonna need to learn before I even attempt to get near that thing." I told Adam, who nodded understandingly. He slid a rolling board in my direction, and reluctantly, although it looked dirty and quite possibly diseased, I laid down on it and slid underneath the car with him.

The massive tangle of cords and copper wires looked like some sort of magical Labyrinth. I spent the next two days learning everything I needed, and by the time we were done, I could've fixed a God damn army tank. Changing oil, shifting sparkplugs, Hell, I could even recognize any engine known to man by the time the week was over.

Paul was there almost every day. Although I was sure he had to be somewhere else, (his phone was ringing so often that he opted to simply shut it off), I didn't mind him being there one bit. My platform was to the left of his, right smack in the middle of the garage, meaning I had a perfect view of his sweaty, glistening chest whenever I felt the need to glance in his direction.

One day, Adam called me under the Corvette.

"Hand me that wrench, will ya? And hold that plug down."

I did as I was told, watching as the pale man shook hands with Paul and drove out of the shop in his Jeep like usual. I'd learned that his name was Emmett Cullen.

"How come they don't like him around here?" I asked quietly, looking at my Uncle.

"It's not that they DIS-like him," he started, sounding a lot like Kim. "It's just that there are a few complications between kin."

"Between kin?"

"Their families don't get along too well. The people of La Push are a little closed-minded, but so are the lee-…people of Forks."

"Then how come him and Paul are so close?"

"There was a bit of a, uhm….scuffle, of sorts a few weeks ago. It was for the good of La Push, really, they were both allied towards the same cause, it's just that Lord knows they're both the most temper-mental of their groups-"

"Scuffle?"

"Look," Adam sighed, dropping his wrench on his forehead and wincing. "The point is, they both eventually realized that they were stronger together than apart. They're nothing close to best friends but there's a lot of respect there."

I nodded as if I understood. Huh. Seemed like Paul had friends everywhere, but what was really bugging me was the idea that the people of La Push would hate another family just because of the geography. Something wasn't right about a family feud that seemed to sprout out of nowhere, and I wanted to know the truth.


	5. Alien

"Need help?"

My head hit the underside of the workbench, tools scattering all about the cement floor. I knew I wasn't supposed to be in the garage that late at night, but I'd done all that trouble of sneaking out of the house, and if you asked me, my baby Mustang was worth it. I grimaced, my upper arm burning from all the strength I was putting on it in order to straighten out a damn gas pipe.

"Sorry, we're supposed to be closed right no-"

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes flickering over the face in front of me. "Ahh…hi." I stuttered, confusion taking over.

"Hi," the boy murmured, flashing me a dazzling grin. Even in fluorescent lighting, his pale skin seemed to shimmer. "I just…I broke down up the road," He explained. "I can just wait until morning if you…"

"No!" I said a little too earnestly. Part of it was out of kindness, the other part just wanted to look at him longer. "Here, let me take a look at it."

The boy grinned again, nearly sweeping me off my feet with the smile, and led the way into the rain.

The sky was such a strange color that I wasn't even sure if it was still night or early morning. The strange boy led me to a shiny beige Kia Sorento, smoke billowing out from underneath the hood.

"I've no idea what's wrong with it," the boy explained, wrinkling his nose at the damage. "One second I'm chugging along just fine and then? Sparks, fire, boom. No chugging."

I raised my eyebrows and popped the lid to the engine, swatting away the thick trail of smoke attacking my face. The boy laughed lightly, a sound that would've made a grown woman fall to her knees.

_Snap out of it_! I thought angrily, rolling my eyes at myself. Paul's face flashed across my mind, his voice rolling through my head as I thought of things he'd probably say if he saw how I was acting.

_Smooth, Princess-having trouble keeping the drool in your mouth?_

"I think it's your spark reflex," I shouted over the rain, jiggling a small cylinder until it popped off. I pulled away from the engine, the boy only inches away from me as I stood and looked up. "I…uh…."

"Sorry," he murmured softly, his black eyes trained on my face. "You just….you're a very beautiful girl."

My cheeks went up in flames within seconds, and for a moment I thought I heard a growl rising in the stranger's throat. Beautiful? No boy had ever called me beautiful, I didn't even think anyone bothered taking a second look at me. Paul's face flickered through my thoughts again.

"I…we have these in the shop," I said evenly, sobering up quickly. "They're not the best things around but if you install them right you'll be better off than you would with the expensive kind."

The boy stared at me for a few extra moments before nodding and following me through the rain back the way we came.

"You're lucky you were so close by," I mused, rummaging through a few drawers. "Next town is at least 20 miles away."

"More like I'm lucky you were here," The boy laughed. "An auto-shop is no good without a mechanic."

I smiled to myself.

"Cute AND a suck up, I just might forget you were ever here and put this in for free."

"How'd you learn about these things anyway?" He asked as I prepped the cylinder with primer.

"My family basically lives in this place," I explained. "Well, the men do anyways."

"And the women?"

"They stay at home and get into as much trouble as they can." I joked, walking back over to him.

"What about school? How old are you?"

"I'll be a Junior. And I'm 16."

"I see. School out already?"

"You sound like you're too old for it to affect you anyways." I stated, raising an eyebrow at him and flicking on a desk lamp by our side.

"Last year, actually. I'll be a senior in fall, back in Vancouver."

"Vancouver? What the Hell are you doing in La Push?"

"My father lives in Forks with my brother. Just moved here, I needed to visit is all."

"I see."

"And what about you? How long have you lived here?"

"Just moved as well. I live with my Aunt and Uncle, Lord knows for how long."

"You don't sound too excited about that."

"It's different," I admitted. "Different in a good way though."

"How so?"

"Nothing short of perfect is allowed when it comes to my mother. She's a control freak, a completely obsessed middle aged control freak-after one too many fights she decided to send me here because she wants to run of to the East Coast, which is too far for the custody agreement to still be valid with my Dad. It's complicated, being moved around so much. But around here…I mean _here_," I gestured around the garage. "I can be me. I feel more at home."

"And you're happy now?"

"Yes. But are you?" I asked, looking at him with genuine curiosity. "What do people expect _you_ to be like out there in the real world?"

"In my household, a soldier of sorts. My father spent several years in the army, any sign of emotion means weakness. When it comes to school…well, I've never stayed in one for longer than a year, so people ignore me for the most part."

"Ignore you?" I thought such a thing would be impossible with looks like his.

"In a way I'm grateful. But in another way, I feel like I'm not a part of the group or something, like I'm different from someone else. Even if I WAS ridiculously popular or something of that sort, I still feel like I'd be the odd one out. I'd still feel like…"

"An alien." I finished, the feeling being quite mutual. The boy smiled.

"You're like me." He murmured.

"I guess so. It's not often you swap life stories with a stranger."

"Sorry to pry," he said softly, his high cheekbones catching in the light. His dark brown hair sat in tousled curls that lapped over his forehead-the kind of hair you could really tangle your fingers in. He smirked as my heart started to race, my cheeks turning red again. "You're just….quite amusing."

"Glad to be here for your entertainment." I grumbled, grabbing a toolbox and walking past him.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," he hurried, rushing after me. "I just meant you're interesting, that's all."

First beautiful, and now I was interesting? To a Sex God of all people? Was this some kind of sick joke?

"Interesting?" I mused, raising an eyebrow at him as we towed through the rain.

"Yes," he smiled. "Interesting. You don't often see a pretty girl in a car shop."

"Pretty." I laughed, although I hadn't meant to do so out loud.

"You don't look like the other girls around here." The boy shrugged.

"How would you know what the other girls around here looked like if your car just now broke down, at two in the morning?" I pried, smirking.

The boy's face fell, and this time I was sure he'd blush, although he didn't look like he could, even with such pale skin.

"Alright….so…I needed an excuse to talk to you."

I laughed out loud again. I had to stop doing that. Sighing, I fixed the engine of his car and shut the hood, leaning on it with one hand.

"So what is it you want, mystery boy? Money? My innocence?"

The boy furrowed his brow for a moment before realization struck his expression.

"You think I'm here to hurt you."

"Nobody's car really breaks down at two in the morning."

"You don't seem very afraid." The boy murmured softly, narrowing his eyes at me. A smile was beginning to play at his lips.

"Should I be? I mean…I don't even know you." I squeaked, still cautious. The boy's expression sobered very quickly, to one of honesty and empathy as he held out his hand gingerly.

"I'm Jackson. And you've absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Especially when it comes to me."

I watched him for a few moments, measuring the sincerity of his words. All of me wanted to run away, my head was screaming at me, wondering why the Hell I would even SPEAK to such a stranger in such dangerous circumstances, but all of it melted when I dipped my hand into his smooth, pale fingers.

"I'm Haley. And I believe you."


	6. Transformation

Kim and Emily almost peed themselves when I told them what happened.

"You gotta stay away from him."

"Way too dangerous."

"I mean, unless he was _really _cute, then by all means…"

"KIM!"

"What? I was her age once, and let me tell you, if some 6 foot tall Greek God walked into my autoshop let's just say he'd get more than a tune up-"

"STOPPPPP," I pleaded, burying my face in my hands. "If you two keep arguing, I'll never tell you anything again."

"Look, all I'm saying is that those guys are usually trouble."

"So you know him?" It was more of a statement than a question, and I eyed Emily warily.

"No, but I know people LIKE him, and trust me-"

"People _like _him?"

Emily sighed and threw her face on the table as Kim rolled her eyes.

"Just be careful, okay kid?" Emily whined. I nodded and played with a curl.

"As long as you guys swear not to tell any of the boys."

"Why not?" Kim asked. I shot her a look.

"Because you have a big mouth, and if you tell Jared, Jared will tell Paul."

"And you're worried about Paul why?" Kim smirked. I threw a half-eaten bagel bite at her.

"Because I don't feel like listening to him make fun of me."

"Please, if Paul found out, you'd be the least of his problems. He'd probably find the kid and eat him ali- AHHH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER MORNING." Kim cried, switching topics quickly as Emily swatted at her.

"Although, we do have a price." Emily mused, raising an eyebrow. She and Kim exchanged looks.

"No," I pleaded, knowing immediately where this was going. "No, no, no, no, no-"

"Oh PAUUUUUUUL," Kim sang out at the top of her lungs. "WE HAVE A SECRET TO TELL YOU-"

"OKAY," I cried, throwing my hands in the air. "FINE, FINE, FINE."

Emily and Kim high-fived before grabbing me by each elbow and towing me out of the bakery in a fit of giggles and murmured excitement.

The first thing they did was take me to Port Angeles. It wasn't the fashion capital of the world, that was for sure, but it had some pretty nice things.

"I'm so tired of seeing you wear that God forsaken T-shirt," Kim grumbled. "If you're gonna be a superhero nerd, at least be a sexy one." She tossed me a dangerously royal blue bra with the Superman logo etched across the back of the matching boy-shorts. They had a set for each of my favorite heroes.

"Do you like dresses?" Emily asked, peering through a rack of clothing. I shrugged.

"I never really have anywhere to wear a dress to." I admitted.

"Maybe, but you got huge boobs," Kim pointed out loudly, a few stray shoppers sneaking a glance in my direction. My cheeks were on fire. "So I think the best thing to do, naturally, is show them off."

"Kim, _you _have huge boobs. I have mosquito bites."

"That's because," Kim grumbled, ripping off my T-shirt. "You try to hide them underneath all your hideous sweaters and what-not. See? THOSE are not mosquito bites my friend." My face went red hot as I squealed, Emily yanking me into the nearest dressing room.

"You could've at least waited until we were behind closed doors!" Emily shouted, drawing even more attention to the three of us. I groaned and threw my hands in my face. "Oh, stop." Emily scolded, pulling my hands away from my cheeks. "You'll be alright."

She helped me sort through the mountain of clothes Kim had thrown over the door, including dresses, clingy camisoles and ridiculously short shorts.

"You look hot." Kim winked as I exited the dressing room, wearing a pair of white shorts and a navy blue crop top. I rolled my eyes, my cheeks still burning. "I mean it!" Kim cried. "You got a great tummy." She patted my abs as if to prove a point.

We bought the ridiculous amount of clothes, and as I did so, I couldn't help but wonder how pissed Mom would be at me for spending so much money-but at the same time, I didn't care. She'd left me, after all, so why not treat her like what she was-a simple bank account?

The next stop involved many broken combs and an ugly, pointy-faced man named Stacy.

"I luff your curls dahling, so vat ve vant to do heyah is add a leaf in conditionah, to ensure maximum hold and shine, yah?"

To be honest, I didn't have any idea what the fuck he was saying, but I nodded and smiled anyway, allowing him to attack my mane with everything he had, Emily and Kim chirping in the waiting room as he did so.

Three hours and seven magazines later, I actually looked like a girl. Not that I hadn't looked like one before, it's just that now I actually _looked _like the type that went on dates and got boyfriends, like the ones you might see in mall ads or something. My usually fluffy fro had been transformed into flowing, spirally ringlets, all perfectly organized to frame my heart shaped face. I hadn't even realized how long my hair was, even when at its curliest, it was tickling the middle of my upper arm.

"Holy shit," Kim murmured, raising her eyebrows as Stacy turned my chair around to face them. She elbowed Emily. "Paul's gonna have a REAL tough time now."

"Paul?" I asked, wondering why she'd bring him up. She waved me off, but I couldn't help but get a prickly sensation in the pit of my stomach at the sound of his name. I would never have admitted it out loud, but I missed him.

We left Stacy to babble more about maintenance and making sure my curls stayed in tip top shape as we headed back down to La push.

There was an odd feeling rustling about inside me. When I'd first arrived, I was almost positive that I'd hate it. I didn't want anything to do with this God forsaken place, or it's ugly houses-but the more I went out, the more fresh, crispy, pine-scented air I took in, the more I realized that this had been my home for Lord knows how long. It wasn't that I was just _going _to La Push, it was that I was going _back._

I bustled in through the front door of YaYa's, 80 large shopping bags in tow.

"Holy crap," she muttered in shock. "I didn't know you liked shopping."

"She doesn't," Kim gasped, crawling from underneath the pile of clothes. "But we do….can't….air….ahh…." she collapsed and disappeared into the mass of crop tops.

"So you finally gave in, huh?" Adam smirked, walking across the hallway and into the kitchen. I snapped a rubberband at him.

"Awe, you guys didn't even tell me!" Yaya cried, literally stomping her foot. I didn't know grown women actually did that. I didn't even know _people_ did that in general. She pouted, sticking her bottom lip out so far that Kim probably could've grabbed hold of it and used it to pull herself out from underneath the clothes. Yaya perked up immediately, however. "I CALL DOING HER MAKEUP!"

She grinned at me before yanking me up the steps, Emily and Kim dragging my bags up the steps behind us. Yaya threw me down in the chair perched before her vanity, flipping the lights on to her room. She brushed my new curls away from my left cheek.

"You have really pretty eyes," she mused, Kim hauling out enough makeup to cover an elephant. "So the best thing we can do is make them pop.

They covered my lashes in thick, dark Covergirl products and took a black stencil to the corners and tops of my eyelids, using a shimmery dust near my tear ducts.

"Her skin looks better bare though, and we don't want her to break out, so leave that part alone." Emily ordered, swabbing some gloss across my bottom lip.

"Pin her hair up!" Kim cried, throwing thousands of bobbypins on the vanity and going to work. They were all very excited, chirping and picking at me until I was satisfactory, and again, I got the prickling sensation of home. I felt wanted around here, I felt like I had attention, but not the bad kind. It wasn't the kind you had to fight or cry out for, it was the good kind, the kind people _wanted_ to give you.

When they were finished, I almost wasn't sure who I was looking at. She was a stranger, with a smoothe, coco-colored porcelain face, her full but small lips shiny and glistening. My eyes looked ten times bigger, but the liner had kept them in check, highlighting their shape and extremely dark color, the shimmer in the corners of my eyes adding a little flair. My curls had been pinned back, a few of them left to hang loose around my cheeks and forehead, the others piled into a beautifully messy knot at the upper back of my head.

"I'm pretty." I murmured in surprise, raising my eyebrows. They all smiled, especially Yaya.

"Oh, Honey, you were always pretty. This is just…enhancement, that's all. It's the wonder of makeup." She winked at me and kissed me on the cheek. "But I do believe that there's someone who might want to see you. Go sweep him off his feet, sexy girl."

At first, I didn't know who she was talking about, and then I realized that Emily and Kim must've told her about Jackson.

"Oh…him," I murmured, my cheeks turning red. "Maybe I _should _go see him."

Yaya grinned in approval before tossing me the keys to her Jeep.

"I don't have a license," I said bluntly, staring at her. "I'm only 15."

"Can you drive?" she asked, already knowing the answer. I'd spent nights on end picking my Mom up from the bar. I nodded. "Well then." She smirked, leaving me with the keys and an overriding sense of guilt. I sighed and said goodbye to Emily and Kim, promising I'd meet them back home after I was finished at the garage.

I wasn't quite sure where Jackson lived, but the shop was my best bet. I'd had to take all of his insurance information a few nights before anyways, so everything still should've been in the database. The trees blurred against the windows, the road seeming to stretch out endlessly around me. Jackson kept flashing through my head, his dark, matted curls that matched his beautiful eyes. I wanted to see him smile again, like it was some sort of drug that I was starting to become addicted to.

It wasn't like that night had been the only one. I'd caught him several times, peeking through the windows, leaving sweet little notes on the tool tables when he thought I wasn't paying any attention-and then there were the strange days.

Those days were different. He seemed to be invisible, moving without me even seeing him there or noticing his presence in the first place. I wanted to believe that it was an accident, that it was just me being ignorant, too wrapped up in the Mustang to see anybody coming or leaving-but deep down I knew that wasn't the case. There had to be a way that he was sneaking into the shop, tiptoeing across the floor or something so that I wouldn't know he was there.

Some people say that ignorance is bliss. That it's better to ignore the complicated details and instead look at the bigger, happier, clean-cut picture. I say I was an idiot for thinking I could live this long with such oblivion.


	7. Now You See Him

Jackson wasn't there when I arrived. I sighed, looking around the empty large garage, wondering where the Hell he could be. After sifting through mountains of paperwork and hacking the interns computer, I couldn't even bring myself to call him, because, Hell, he might not have _wanted _to be here. For all I knew, he was busy, and calling him would make me look clingy.

I sighed and rolled backwards in the desk chair, huffing until I was done with my pout session. It wasn't that I'd never been alone in the garage before-I'd done that plenty of times with my midnight adventures, but during the day time it felt so different. It felt more…lonely. Like in the middle of the night, you didn't expect anyone to be there, but during the day it felt more like no one wanted to be there _except you_, so I found myself feeling more and more frustrated by the second, as though everyone had a life but me.

"Looks like it's me and you again." I sighed, pulling off my Superman T-shirt and patting the hood of the Mustang. I slid underneath the car, dragging a toolbox along with me. She was coming along quite nicely. Nobody had expected me to stick with it for this long, especially since every time I put something together, something else fell apart. There was progress though, I could see it-and within only a week I had most of the frame built.

"Care for some company?"

I jerked upwards, my hipbone catching on a thick metal frame, the skin scraping off by a large chunk.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Jackson laughed as I rolled out from underneath the Mustang. He raised his eyebrows at my appearance.

"Makeover." I explained, although most of my torso and left cheek were splotched with oil and soot.

"I like it!" Jackson smiled. "I just came by to say hi, as long as you promise not to throw yourself at the bottom of the car again." He teased.

I looked down and winced, the raw skin of my hipbone starting to turn pink. I dabbed at the area with two fingers, pressing hard enough that a small drop of blood appeared.

"How'd you know I was here anyways?" I asked absentmindedly, looking around for something to clean the wound. There was no answer. "Jackson?" I looked up, cotton balls and band-aid in hand. Nobody. "Funny!" I called, looking around for him and throwing my hair into a messy bun. There was still no answer.

"I'm sorry." A husky whisper blew across my ear and I whirled around, Jackson standing only centimeters away from me.

The tools in my hand clattered to the ground, my breath rushing out of my body at the very sight of him being so close.

"Don't do that," He ordered, staring at me manically, my cheeks flushing. He brought his fingers up, running them along the red skin of my face. "It makes it harder…it makes it so much harder."

"Makes what harder?" I whispered, his body pressing into mine slowly and steadily.

"I can see it," he murmured, still staring at my cheeks. "Pumping underneath the surface like a river…" he swallowed thickly, his eyes meeting mine for a moment. "I'd heard of another. In this town, I mean. He was able to keep control, keep her safe-and now look at them, he turned her, made her a part of his family and now they have a daughter-a half human, half…I…it could turn the face of our world…"

I kept my eyes on his face, fear washing over nerve in my body as we backed into a wall.

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought I could do it too. The control. I thought I could protect you, if I didn't hurt you, then I'd love you, nobody else could have you-but you make it…so…hard…." He was swallowing thickly, as if his throat had been rubbed dry with sand paper and I was a tall glass of lemonade.

"You're gonna hurt me." I whispered, tears threatening to prick at my eyes. He was scaring the Hell out of me. As soon as the words escaped my mouth, Jackson's expression shifted. He no longer looked like a hungry lion, he looked like a tormented one. Still huge, still dangerous, but wounded.

"I swore I wouldn't." he murmured, before leaning in.

I closed my eyes and let the kiss happen. I knew it was wrong. I knew we weren't supposed to be there. Even with his cool marble lips working their way across mine, even with his fingers locked fiercely on the back of my neck-I knew something wasn't right.

My mind kept flickering towards Paul, kept wondering why he wasn't here, why it wasn't _him _kissing me, even though I nearly threw up at the thought. Paul and I didn't like each other, that much had been clear from the get-go, so why was I worried about him? Wasn't he the one who was always teasing me about learning to live a little more vibrantly?

I pushed him away gently, my eyes wide, my chest heaving as I panted viciously.

"I uhm…I forgot some stuff at home." I lied, dipping underneath his arm and snatching my T-shirt off of the Mustang. Jackson caught my arm, sighing heavily.

"I didn't mean-I…I'm sorry, just please don't leave."

"Look I really have to-"

"Don't go anywhere." Jackson ordered again, squeezing my arm so tightly it hurt. I winced slightly but took a deep breath, trying to keep a level head. I thought about Paul.

A low rumbling noise built in the back of Jackson's throat, his eyes locked on my bleeding hip, his entire body going rigid. For a second, he looked crazy again, like he was about to pick up a screwdriver and take out my eyes, but as a small whimper flung itself out of my mouth, his expression changed again, and once more he was my friend.

"Listen you have to promise me you'll be careful," he insisted, pulling me close to him with a gentler grip. "We shouldn't be friends."

"Then why are we?" I asked, hoping he'd give me a serious answer. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Hmm? How come you're here all the time if you don't like me?"

"Don't like you? Are you kidding? I ADORE you, you're the only friend I've ever ha-"

"You adore me," I said flatly, narrowing my eyes as he nodded. "Then why'd you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to."

"That makes sense." I grumbled rolling my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'll…here, I'll help with the car."

"What do you know about cars?" I tested, pulling my arm gently out of his arms. My lips still stung from where he'd nipped at them.

"Less than you," he admitted, taking off his jacket and biting his thumb. "But I'm a quick learner. Just tell me what to do, Captain."

I eyed him again.

"It's a Friday night, don't you want to go out?" I asked, laying on the board and rolling back under the car.

"I don't like people very much."

"That's hard to believe," I laughed. "You act like you don't have friends."

"Well…I don't, really. I mean….just you, and a few others around town, but that's it. I've never been much of an extravert."

I shrugged, knowing I couldn't be one to judge. After all, I was in fact the very definition of a middle-aged teenager. My nights back home had been spent either studying for AP classes or cleaning the house, the most exciting event to ever cross my path was occasionally picking up my wasted mother from the bar.

Jackson laughed when I told him this.

"You don't like her too much, huh?" he asked casually, handing me a wrench before sliding under the car next to me. I shrugged.

"It's not that I DIS-like her," I murmured. Kim was really rubbing off on me these days…. "It's just that she's so frustrating, I don't get her sometimes you know?"

"Parents aren't meant to be understood."

"Then how the Hell are we supposed to work with them?" I retorted, earning a laugh from my friend.

"I suppose it's a dictatorship that slowly weans away the older you get."

"Yeah, well, I just try to do the best I can."

"You're a people pleaser, aren't you?"

"No…"

"Liar," he smirked. "I can tell. You'll do anything to avoid conflict."

"What makes you say that?"

"You didn't punch the Hell out of me when I pushed you up against a wall and kissed you.

"Yes, well, you're lucky you have soft lips or else you would've lost a couple teeth." I blurted out, my cheeks flaming after the statement had escaped. I kept my eyes on the engine in front of me, not daring to look at him.

"Oh please, you-"

"Haley?"

Jared's voice rang through the garage, Jackson's body going rigid as it did so. I pushed myself out from underneath the car, standing there in my glorious yellow and black sports bra, covered in grease. Jared wrinkled his nose slightly and his eyes flickered towards the bottom of the car.

"Who's under there?" He demanded, his voice slightly hardened. Jackson popped out from his place on the ground, standing next to me with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"We were just working on the car." He said evenly, he and Jared locking eyes.

If you tried to cut the tension in the room with a butterknife, it'd probably snap in half, and then one of the little pieces would fly backwards and stab you in the eye. That's how bad it was.

"Paul sent me to get you," Jared said sternly, his eyes occasionally flickering away from Jackson and towards me. "We gotta go."

"Is he okay?" I asked, grabbing my shirt.

"He's fine, but you need to come with me. Like now."

"You don't have to go." Jackson murmured as we turned our backs to Jared, rattling through tools.

"I can't stay cooped up in this garage with you forever." I smiled lightly.

"We could go somewhere. Or, I mean we could…I don't know, but we-"

"It's a Friday night," I sighed, looking at him. "I'm sure you've got hundreds of other girls that would kill to spend time with you."

"And you're not one of them?" His expression almost broke my heart, and my tone softened as I replied.

"Of course I love hanging out with you. I mean, you're great, really, you're one of the best friends I've got right now, but don't you ever wonder what it's like to just….explore? Do something different for once?"

"Paul Lahote's been rubbing off on you, hasn't he?" Jackson asked, his face icy. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"How do you know hi-"

"Just be careful," Jackson shot. "That kid is trouble. Nothing less and nothing more."

I watched him grab his jacket and storm out of the garage, practically shoving past Jared as he did so. It took ten minutes for Jared to quit shaking and calm down.

* * *

***AUTHORS NOTE***

** So, how do you guys like Jackson? Please let me know! I'd love to hear how the story is coming along, so even if you're not a member, just leave an anonymous review! :] The more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update...and the sexier the chapters will get! There'll be danger, secrets, lust, and even a little humor...but only if you guys tell me what you want! **

**S.O to melissawilliamore, who's been an avid reader of mine since the days of Kim and Jared :]**


	8. Shipwrecked

**Heavy In Your Arms-Florence + The Machine**

**Breath of Life-Florence +The Machine**

* * *

I really knew I was in trouble when Paul came to the garage to pick me up. Something had changed in the twenty minutes that I'd spent trying to calm Jared down that convinced him it was time to call for other help, so reluctantly, I grabbed my cell and let him call Paul.

Jared and I were sitting huddled on the floor, Jared running his hands through his hair over and over again the way he always did when he was frustrated with something. No matter how many times I asked, he wouldn't tell me why Paul himself had to come and get me. When the roar of Paul's black GMC rolled across the garage doors, my stomach clenched. I was so screwed.

"You suck." Paul said simply as he strolled through the doors. I rolled my eyes and patted Jared on the back.

"You good to drive?" I asked him. He nodded. "Good. Then I won't feel bad about this." I swatted him on the back of the head.

"I'm sorry! He was gonna find out either way." Jared grumbled, although I wasn't quite sure what he meant. I rolled my eyes as Paul pointed to the truck wordlessly. I marched onward and slid into the passenger seat, grumbling to myself as he slid in next to me.

"So what exactly am I in trouble for again?" I demanded.

"Hanging out with someone like that." Paul growled, his face twisted in annoyance.

"What's so wrong with him?" I grimaced, getting seriously pissed. "He's as nice as anyone else around here."

"Yeah, leaving you love notes, visiting the garage in the middle of the night, real cute harmless stuff until he chops your head off and eats you for dinner."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I never personally thought it was that serious.

"Get a grip," I hissed. "_You _of all people are trying to lecture me about safety? Okay." I crossed my arms and sunk into my seat. Silence washed over us for a couple minutes.

"I'm sorry," Paul said finally, his eyes locked on the road. I'd never heard him use such a serious tone of voice. "I really didn't mean to make you mad, I swear. He's just….he freaks me out, Princess. That's all. He freaks me the Hell out."

"Why?"

"The way he looks at you is too creepy for me."

"For you."

"Yes, for me," Paul emphasized, glancing at me seriously. "You should listen to me sometimes."

"Two days ago you were griping about me not living enough."

"You don't live enough," he insisted, sticking to his guns. "You need to learn how to have fun!"

"You need to learn how to mind your own business!"

"You ARE my busine-DAMN IT."

And thus came the dreaded pothole.

*PAUL*

I was supposed to be watching the road. That's why that entire situation was my fault. _I _wanted to go get her, _I _wanted to drive her home myself, despite the impending weather storm warnings, and _I _wanted to see her face as soon as possible and make sure that freak hadn't hurt her, because if he had, _I _would've broke his fucking jaw.

She didn't scream, which was probably the freakiest part. She looked at me like she already knew what was happening, the thunder rolling over head, the skies so thick with clouds they almost looked black…it seemed like she knew the second we'd gotten in the car.

I love the GMC, I really do, and for the first time in my life, I was glad to be a giant mutated freak, because the second the front end of the truck and shattered the ice beneath us, my arm was the only thing protecting Haley's face as the windshield shattered, shards of glass flinging themselves at us frantically. The truck sat there for a moment, wedged between both sides of the hole as lightening flickered all around us in the sky. Thunder rumbled. Then another set. Haley was panting, but from what I could see, she wasn't badly injured. I kept my arm over her torso anyways. When she grabbed a hold of it, I thought I would melt.

The truck groaned, causing Haley to whimper. Her hair had partially fallen out of its messy bun, her perfect, dark spirals hanging in a curtain around her shoulders. I couldn't see her face through the sheet of hair, but I could tell she was scared at this point. She pressed her head back against the headrest, her eyes wide as she watched the icicles beneath us warily. The truck groaned again and she squeezed her eyes shut. In a few minutes, the truck would be completely vertical, and we'd be impaled.

"We have to move." She choked, her voice soft and velvety with fear. I nodded, slowly unbuckling my seat belt.

"Hold onto me." I ordered. She clung to my arm as I counted to three before popping the switch on her buckle.

God damn her for being so light. The second the strap flung away from her chest, she sank towards the dashboard, nearly falling out of the empty windshield space. I swore.

"Look at me," I ordered. She didn't. "Haley, please, look at me." She did, tears rolling down her cheeks. I felt like being impaled by giant shards of ice would hurt less than watching her cry. "Pull yourself up on my arm, alright? The second you get to the back seat, pop out the side door."

"What about you?" She demanded. How sweet.

"I'll get there," I lied. "Just do as I say alright?" She nodded, eying me warily as she made her way through the seats. She could see right through me.

I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes, listening as she kicked through the right hand back door, cold air and rain washing over us as she did so. The storm was getting worse. Haley swore as a fountain of dirty water poured itself into the truck.

"You don't have a whole lot of time, Princess." I pushed.

"But it's wet." She whined, eying her perfectly styled curls.

"Heaven help us." I grumbled turning around in my seat and shoving her out onto the pavement.

The truck groaned again, sliding further down the hole. I had two options. Go out the way Haley did, despite my massive size, and probably fall to my death. Or, sit here and fall to my death quicker than I would in the second option.

"You got my hair wet!" She cried, fiddling on the pavement, although I could tell that was the least of her worries. Water was rushing all throughout the dugout road now, filling higher and higher by the second. We were about to be caught in a river rapid within seconds. I scrambled out of the car, the truck slipping at the last second and catching my ankle as it crashed to the bottom of the pothole. A snap filled the air, heat flooding my shoe as it did.

A broken ankle. In the rain. With a girl screeching about her wet hair.

God was trying to kill me.

Haley's eyes went wide as she padded through the water, dropping to her knees next to me.

"We gotta get out of here!" she cried, feeling through the water for my leg. I kept pulling it away from her, knowing that within a few minutes it'd be healed like nothing had happened.

"There's a cabin," I yelled over the sound of rushing water and thunder. "It's only a few miles away, we can stay there." The water was picking up heavily, now she was on all fours and it was shoving at her shoulders.

"How do we get out of the-"

Thunder again, lightening flickering across her fearful caramel face. She was beautiful. Missing a shoe, grease smeared on the side of her cheek, her hair falling out of her bun curl by curl as her cheeks screamed bright red….beautiful. She caught me staring and swatted at me.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PLAY AROUND, LOVERBOY. QUIT STARING." She shouted. I almost laughed, staggering to my feet and gripping her by the arm. She clung to me like she could fly away any second.

After what felt like minutes of wading in the water, I finally trudged into ground that didn't slide underneath my feet.

"I can't breathe," she panted, looking ghostly pale. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking all around her when I finally caught the scent. The smell of her blood was filling the air quicker than the rain was pouring. I swore again, pulling and tugging at her until finally I saw the problem-a long, thick gash etched into the inside of her left calf. It was turning green around the edges and was already inflamed. She'd been infected with something. "I feel like I can't breathe." She choked again, staring out into the empty woods wide-eyed. She was losing a lot of blood. And that meant I was losing her.

I scooped her up bridal-style, her body hanging eerily limp in my arms as I looked around for the closest way to the cabin. Her breathing was growing raspy and tormented, her lids fluttering although her dark brown eyes were focused on the sky, lightening dancing in her irises.

"Stay with me Baby," I breathed, although I wasn't quite sure how I'd allowed myself to use that name. "Stay with me."

Never in my life had I actually liked a girl. Slept with them, yes. Liked them, not so much. I mean it wasn't that I didn't _try, _it was just that all of them had wanted something from me, like the money that was actually my Dad's, or the ridiculously large house I lived in for a boy from La Push. When they looked at me, all of them saw the same thing: a way out. We'd grow up, fall in love, and high tail it out of here with a trail of money flowing behind us-but Haley was different. The second I saw her, I knew what was going on. I was terrified, furious even. I didn't _want _to love anybody, but it was too late, and once I got over that, I became pissed about the fact that I had to love her when I was like _this, _some giant mutated freak sent from the Gods to protect a small town from leeches.

I wanted to tear myself a part when I realized what I'd done, that I'd Imprinted on her-probably trapping her in this life just like Kim and Emily-and I wanted to kill myself. I'd tried, even, just to spare both of us from a fate I didn't want to face. I was sure she wasn't strong enough to handle it, I wondered how the Hell she, of all people, had managed to get a hold of my heart, but the more I thought about, the more I began to ask how the Hell she _couldn't _have. Even looking at her now, all battered and soaked in dirt, I felt weak in the knees, like if her survival didn't depend on my getting us somewhere safe I'd pass out.

I loved her because she needed me in her own sense, because I had something I could show her regardless of whether or not she wanted it. For the first time in my life, I was useful-I could get her away from day-to-day boredom, I could give her a superhero she always babbled on and on and on about when we were working at the garage, I could help her escape into a fantasy she'd always wanted for one sick, heavy, price. Her heart.

* * *

** Will Haley and Paul make it out of the storm? :O Who knows...whoooooo knowsssss...**


	9. Mommy Dearest

**Skinny Love- Birdy**

**Corynorhinus-Hanz Zimmer**

* * *

By the time we got to the cabin, I thought she was dead. _Real smooth Lahote, _I thought grimly. _You killed the only girl who makes you feel worth something. _I shoved through the front door, freezing air washing over the both of us as I did. Haley shuddered lightly in my arms, the sound of her small whimper shooting ice through my heart again. I really needed to get a grip before this girl killed me without even trying….

I went straight to my old bedroom, laying her down in the freezing sheets although I should've warmed her up first. I could do that later. As she lay motionless, soaking my sheets profusely, I snatched a knife from the kitchen along with a bowl and three thick towels, grimacing at what I was about to do.

The last thing I'd ever dreamt of was hurting her. Hell, if it was up to me, I'd never even be allowed to touch her- I wasn't even _worthy _of touching her. If the spirits had had any sense, they would've given her to someone else in the pack, someone who could at least control themself.

She groaned lightly, her leg recoiling as I added to the thick gash on her leg, blood pouring out onto the towels as I ran the steel across her skin. Bleeding her out had been our only option. The closest hospital was nearly ten miles away, and we'd been lucky to even make it out of the storm in one piece.

"I know, I know," I said sadly, placing a hand on her forehead. "Just hang in there Baby, it'll be done soon okay? I promise."

There was that damn word again. She should've punched me in the face, should've given me some sort of sign that she hated it when I called her that-at least then I could've found the will to stop, but the word tumbled out of my mouth when I thought of her, along with several other inappropriate ones.

I couldn't help myself around her. She was flawless, easily the sexiest woman I'd ever seen in my entire life, even as she laid here covered in dirt and rainwater and grease, bleeding all over my towels, it took all of me not to kiss her full on the mouth.

I gave her a few more seconds before pressing down on the cut and cleaning it, fishing a needle and thread from my Mom's old kit and stitching her up. I was no doctor, but after a year and a half of running with the wolves, I'd learned a thing or two about First Aid.

"See? All better." I choked, throwing the bloody towels in the laundry basket. I ran a hand over her injury, wishing I could've done more to fix it.

"I still don't like you." She grumbled sleepily, her eyes fluttering closed. I couldn't help but laugh at her, and although I could tell she was still hurting, she smirked at the ceiling.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you," I said honestly, standing and beginning to clean everything up. "Get some sleep."

"Leave your hand there." She said hoarsely, her tone becoming panicked.

"Leave my…what?" I asked, unsure of what she wanted me to do.

"It feels better when it's on there…you don't….I mean you don't have to, I was just say-"

"Stop before you lose your voice," I smirked, sitting on the edge of the bed. I leaned against the wall and pulled her leg into my lap, rubbing the sore spot gently. "Like I said, sleep. You need it."

"If you touch me anywhere else while I'm out, I'll kill you."

I laughed again, watching her chest rising and falling in a slow, sweet tempo.

When I was sure she was out, I slipped out from underneath her leg and covered her in the thick navy comforter, trying to keep her as warm as possible.

"Sweet dreams, Princess." I said softly, glancing at her again before leaving the room.

The last time I was here, I was only seven. Mom was still around back then. Dad had bought this place as a sort of apologetic gift to her, a sad excuse for repentance when she found out he'd been cheating on her.

"All you gotta do is give a woman a distraction," he told me. "Give her a big enough distraction and you're free to be the man you really are."

The last thing I wanted to be was a man like him.

The floorboards were old and creaky, but the place had remained pretty clean. I stopped in the hallway to check the thermostat. Broken. I swore quietly. Great ,stormed in, and no heat. If push came to shove, I'd keep Haley warm-but I wasn't exactly how sure how close she'd let me get to her. If the answer was not very, I wouldn't blame her. Who would want me close to them anyways? I bit the top of my thumbnail, sighing. Again, why me? Out of all of them, why me? I peeked into the bathroom, floors still covered in beige shiny tile, the large wall-to-wall vanity mirror collecting a thin layer of dust from the years it'd been ignored. The claw-footed bathtub sent a jolt through my spine.

I remembered that bathtub.

I remembered Mom coming home completely wasted, crying because I wasn't her little baby anymore, crying because I never let her take care of me. When I finally did, allowing her to scrub me and run my water like I was three years old again, she held my head under the surface for four minutes straight. I saw her face again, distorted by the bubbles and rippling water, her sad, confused dark eyes staring down at me with a mixture of hate and jealousy and sadness and guilt. I didn't know what to think of her. I growled lowly. I was never getting into that tub again.

I shut the light off forcefully, slamming the door and then instantly regretting it. What if I'd just woken Haley? I checked her…_my _room again. Still snoozing. I sighed in relief, making my way next door to my parents room. This place felt forbidden. The walls ,two black and two grey, matched the thick black headboard and furniture, along with the silver and black checkered comforter. My Dad's flatscreen hung over the dresser, two clear-vile bubble glass lamps on each nightstand. I scoffed. He'd spend two hundred dollars on each of those. Two hundred dollars for a God forsaken lamp.

The kitchen was still dark green, the bottom half of the walls a woodsy, dark auburn color with Quaint flowers etched into the color in beige. The countertops were still black marble, wrapping around in a U-Shape opposite the fridge, stove, sink, and spare counters. The floor was cherrywood. Mom had it replaced four times. Once, when she threw her heels at my father and missed, the stiletto chipping the wood. Second, when she'd dropped her favorite bottle of White Bank Chardonnay. Third, when she'd thrown everything off the counters and tipped over the fridge in a fit of rage, and fourth when she tried slitting my throat, wrestling me to the ground. The end of the steak knife had lodged itself into the wood next to my face.

The living room was simple. A thirty foot tall ceiling, with light blue walls and a black leather couch that wrapped around a black glass coffee table. A forty inch flat-screen was perched above the wide black fireplace. To the left of the cough and T.V., bookshelves stood from the floor to the ceiling, no shelf left empty. The books reminded me of Haley's room, not that I'd ever admit to being in there. She'd probably choke me. I flipped on the T.V., the news woman babbling on and on about a chain of vicious storms crossing over Washington. Fantastic. The highest temperature estimated at about thirty degrees, and our heating didn't even work yet.

I needed to get out of this place. It wasn't healthy for me. I'd run away God knew how many times, and every time the police drug me back kicking and screaming, I could feel my Mother's toxin building up in my bloodstream over and over again, my body anticipating the torture it was about to endure. I hated her, more than I'd ever hated anything in my entire life. My fists started shaking, another growl ripping through my throat quietly. _Breathe. Breathe before you blow the whole fucking house down and kill the girl you love._

In the other room, Haley shuddered in the cold.


	10. Missing Him Gets You Killed

"I thought I told you not to touch me." I said softly. Paul flickered his eyes to me fearfully, although his feather-light fingers did not move from my side. He'd been doing it for an hour, just watching me, his fingers running themselves up and down the length of me, tracing little circles into my skin. He'd been comically careful not to go anywhere scandalous, and because of that I found myself confused and somewhat intrigued.

Goosebumps were rising everywhere his fingers went, his touch leaving a blazing trail of heat behind it.

"I'm sorry, I really di-"

"How come you're so warm?" I asked, not recoiling from his touch. He laid an entire palm across my side, his fingertips brushing the top of my ribs. I shuddered at the sensation, electricity jolting through my body.

"It's a secret," He said softly looking at me. "Are you cold?"

"No," I lied, sitting up in the soft fluffy comforter. "How come you're so warm?" I asked again.

"Probably just a fever." Paul murmured, still lost in my face. He was studying my expression gravely.

"Probably." I repeated, staring back at him. Electricity was buzzing everywhere, and for a split second I thought perhaps I'd like to kiss him. I shoved the thought away quickly, sliding out of the sheets. Paul remained on his knees for a few moment before standing up next to me, towering me within seconds. He was so tall…and so sexy….and so close….

"I need to shower." I blurted out, my cheeks turning red. Paul grabbed a towel from the hall closet and grabbed my hand, leading me to the bathroom silently.

"Are you okay to stay by yourself?" he asked seriously. I nodded, my teeth chattering. "I'm gonna go get wood for the fire, alright? Call me if you need me."

"But how are you gonna hear me-"

"Trust me. Just call me, I don't care what it is, just say my name. I'll hear you, I'll find you, I promise."

We stood there staring at each other for a few more moments, my heart speeding up slightly at the sight of him. It killed me to admit it, but he was beautiful. He looked like a God covered in satiny copper skin, heat radiating off of every inch of his perfectly sculpted body. I wanted to touch him. Kiss him. Lick him. Feel my way around the landscape that he was.

But he only stared at me for a few more moments before kissing my forehead gently and walking away.

I sighed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I grumbled, looking at myself in the mirror. Oh God. Rough was an easy way to put it. To be honest, I looked like I'd just gotten hit with a Mack truck. But Paul had still been staring at me like I was Aphrodite herself. "Fairytales don't exist." I hissed, waving away the idea that my prince charming was somehow living in an estranged cabin with me.

I only took a few minutes in the shower, each second feeling worse and worse. I wanted Paul to be home already, I didn't like it in this God forsaken cabin without him. Not that I missed him, or anything…it was just nice to have somebody around and make it less creepy to be stuck in the middle of bad weather.

I looked out of the window, grimacing slightly as the wind and thunder began to pick up, the skies darkening again. It would rain soon. I washed my hair and brushed it, adding the leave-in conditioner before trudging back to Paul's room. It was rather plan, with silver walls and matching navy furniture-but it was ridiculously large. Light carpet matched the walls and stretched at least seventeen feet wide, two large floor-to-ceiling windows sitting at the West of the room. I picked up a comic and fiddled with it, running my fingers over tiny model superhero toys and matchbox cars. Maybe we weren't so different deep down inside.

Thunder crashed, earning a wince from me. Paul had been gone for half an hour. I dug through his closet, pulling out a pair of light blue basketball shorts. They looked like they'd fit a ten year old. Sighing, I went to his parent's room. I didn't like stealing, but I promised I'd bring the items back once I was finished with them. I took a pair of white jean shorts and a pink low-cut T-shirt, wondering how the Hell anybody's _Mom _could be a size 5. When I found a picture of her sitting on one of the nightstands, I understood. She was flawless.

Thick, black, luscious hair framed her perfect oval face, her high cheekbones catching the light of the camera flash. She flashed a perfect set of square, white teeth underneath a set of thin but smooth lips, her perfectly arched eyebrows perched over dazzling dark eyes. Paul looked more like her than he looked like his father.

Speaking of that stupid douche….where the Hell was he, anyways? As I sifted through the fridge and came out empty handed, I glanced at the clock. An hour. An hour to get firewood, and we didn't have a car. A sickening toxin built up in the pit of my stomach as I bit my lip, knowing it was pretty damn stupid for _both _of us to get lost somewhere in these God forsaken trees, but I couldn't stand the thought of him being hurt without me being there to help him. I rolled my eyes and shouted in annoyance, snatching a flashlight from the hall closet and putting on Paul's oversized leather jacket.

This son of a gun owed me big time.

I trudged through the thick, wet trees, rain soaking me down to my soul. I'd been walking for twenty minutes, and still, there was no sign of my rescuer.

"Paul?" I called out for the sixtieth time in a row. Nada. All around me I heard the snap of twigs, the calling of distressed birds, but no matter what I shouted, no matter where I went, Paul was nowhere to be found.

The woods were thick with danger. Every nerve in my body was on overdrive, screaming at me to run in the other direction, whispering that maybe Paul had already made it home, and that all of my worrying had been for nothing. Lightning struck a tree only a few feet away, sending the heavy trunk crashing to the ground. I jumped, screaming loud enough to override the thunder.

I was not by myself. There was something moving in the trees, something causing the leaves to rustle in unnatural movements, my heart jumping out of my chest like it wanted to get the Hell out of here.

A low whine rang out from behind me and I turned, dropping the flashlight clean in the mud. I was screwed. Looking into the weary but dangerous eyes before me, I realized that coming out here had been one of the best, and worst decisions I'd ever made.

I thought of all the things I never got to do in life. Skydiving, getting married, having kids, making it to college….so many things had been left unsaid and undone.

Suddenly I wanted Paul back.

Maybe if I'd known that I was so close to death, I would've kissed him. Hell, maybe I would've jumped on him and kept him in the bedroom for the last few hours I had to live-but I wasn't brave enough to live in the moment. I suddenly understood what Paul had meant about living to the fullest, about learning to live on the wild side, because now that I was about to die, I began to realize that my life had amounted to just about nothing. I'd never done anything great, I'd never said anything worth remembering, and I'd spent the last few weeks pushing away the one boy who could've actually taught me something useful.

I wanted to be back in the thick fluffy navy sheets, inhaling his scent and dreaming it was where I belonged. I wanted his hand on my side again, his fingers running up and down my skin like he owned me. I wanted to feel wanted. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to tell me I was pretty. For the first time in my life, I wanted him to call me Princess again.

I was going to die.


	11. Hang In There

**Calamity-Two Steps From Hell**

**Requiem For A Dream-Clint Mansell**

**In Time Main Theme-Craig Armstrong**

* * *

My breath hitched in the back of my throat, thunder roaring overhead as I stumbled away from the large silver wolf, his dark eyes trained on me carefully, his tail swishing gently behind him. I wanted to die right then. Adam had told me stories about this, about people getting lost in the woods and sometimes being found after an animal attack. This must've been the type he was talking about.

The wolf whimpered lightly again, inching closer although I scrambled back further and further until I was up against a sticky wet tree trunk, my hair thick and tangled in Paul's leather jacket. I was shivering, and I couldn't tell if it was from fear or from the cold. The wolf whined again as my teeth chattered, coming closer and closer, so close I had to squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for it to snap and bite and tear, but all it did was nudge my chin with the side of its face and lick me.

I turned my face to it warily, my heart still pounding in my chest as it looked at me with eerily human eyes. There was something familiar about them, something that eased the pit of my stomach and brought my breathing to a normal rate. Its eyes were dark, studying my expression as if it were trying to figure me out, waiting for a reaction to its presence. I was too afraid to speak. What if I said something, what if my voice startled it and it decided to kill me? I thought about Paul again, telling me to take my chances whenever they presented themselves. Maybe he was right for once.

"You…are you going to kill me?"

The wolf barked in what felt like laughter, baring all of its teeth in a wolfish grin. Paul had been right. I should trust him more. The wind blew behind me, the wolf snapping to attention immediately.

Fuck Paul. I'm never listening to him again.

The wolf seemed to screech and roar, every grey hair on its body standing at a point, baring its teeth at whatever was behind me. The wolf brought its paw around, shoving me to the ground. For a second, I thought I was dead meat again. But I was being ignored. The wolf simply stepped over me, towering and covering my body from the rain whilst still growling ferociously at whatever was lurking in the trees.

"I should've known."

I snapped my head towards the sound of Jackson's voice, heat exploding through my chest.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" I screamed, lightening flickering across his smooth expression. I scrambled to my feet, the wolf shoving me backwards a few steps and standing between us.

"I tried, Haley. God, I tried." He sounded like he was choking on his words, crying almost, although I wasn't sure if his cheeks were wet from the rain or from tears.

"You have to leave!" I screamed, trying to run to him. The wolf shoved me backwards again, snapping in my direction.

I flickered my eyes between the wolf and my friend, a million different plans calculating themselves in my head at once. I needed to get to him, protect him, distract the beast so he could run.

"Cullen made it look so easy," Jackson cried, his face twisted in pain. "He told me that it had happened before, Singer's and the vampires they took hostage….I tried, Haley, I tried."

"This isn't the time for that!" I yelled, trying to shove against the wolf, who again, shoved me. "Get out of here!"

"You really haven't figured it out yet," Jackson wailed, looking up at the sky briefly, three ghostly pale angels appearing out of the trees. I furrowed my brow in utter confusion. Whoever would take a camping trip in weather like this was seriously demented.

There was something different about these people. Eyes glittering as red as blood flickered in the flash of lightning, their pearly white skin looking bleached in the moonlight. A woman with long, blond silky curls grinned at me, a set of fangs glistening in my direction. They were not campers. "I told you we shouldn't be friends." Jackson groaned, walking towards me. The wolf snarled, taking a step forward as well, and it suddenly dawned on me that it wasn't here to kill me. It was trying to save me.

"What are you doing- what are…." I couldn't breathe, couldn't even think straight because I was trying to hard not to pass out in the dirt.

"I've been going _years _without human blood. _Years, _Haley…I've tried so hard, worked so efficiently…and then you come along. My father had hoped maybe being half human I could resist….but I just can't, Haley. I can't do it," he looked as though he were about to cry, like a boy apologizing for stabbing you whilst still slowly sinking the knife into your heart. "But the closer I get to eighteen….the closer I get to my official change….the harder it gets. Every day," Jackson hissed, taking on the same manic look I'd seen in the garage. "Every God damn day it gets harder to breathe, to look at you without feeling like matches are being shoved down my throat."

"You're a vampire," I breathed, only half believing myself. I looked at him, begging for an expression that told me I was wrong, but he simply stared apologetically. "And…why m-"

"We all have a certain weakness, Hales. All of us. You're like my drug, like a perfectly concocted river of lust…it screams for me, tells me to come to you even though you want to resist me. It's the highest note in the most glorious him, yelling my name, shouting it, singing it in the most beautiful pitch imaginable….the most beautiful pitch."

The talking was over. The wolf lunged, snapping its jaws at Jackson so hard that I was sure he was goner. My eyes couldn't even register how quickly my old friend had moved, however, and within seconds he was swinging amongst the trees, making his way towards me with speed unrecognizable to the human eye.

The blond haired woman moved seconds later. She wrapped her arms around the wolfs ribs, pulling so hard that a crack whipped through the air, causing me to wince. The wolf barked in my direction, and although I'd never had any experience talking to dogs, I knew what it meant. _Run. _

No matter how badly I wanted to stay, there was something in its tone that made me nearly jump out of my skin. It had been an order, not a suggestion. I scrambled backwards, flinging myself over a log and hitting the ground with feet as fast as the lightning, completely soaked to my core now as a pale, twitching limb sailed over my head. The second it clattered to the ground in front of me I screeched, a pale marble hand sealing my mouth shut mid-scream.

"Just breathe," Jackson instructed, tilting me backwards as if we were dancing. "Just breathe and close your eyes."

I squeezed my eyes shut, clawing at his fingers. For a moment, his lips brushed the crook of my neck, goosebumps rising all over my body as acid churned in my stomach. Jackson seemed to fling himself from me, sending me crashing into the mud. I turned my head.

He sailed through the trees, branches snapping beneath the weight of his body as he clutched a pale, shocked face in his hands, the woman's blonde hair washing around his face with the wind. The force of her head hitting his chest had sent him spiraling backwards. I turned back to the wolf, now wrestling amongst the leaves with a tall, brawny red-head, his pale face twisted in concentration as he mirrored the wolf's movements.

"NO!" I screamed, the man grabbing hold of a paw and twisting. The wolf howled fiercely, whimpering loudly as his hind leg came around and caught the man in the face.

They broke like glass, these strange angels. Instead of blood and muscle, nothing but more marble was hidden beneath the surface of their faces, and as large chunks of the man's jaw flew into the air, he wailed, clutching his face just long enough so that the wolf could-literally- tear his head off and fling it into the trees behind him.

I watched the wolf silently as he skulked from here to there, piling branches on top of each torso until they were all covered, said for Jackson, who had escaped. As much as I hated they idea of touching anything remotely similar to those demons, I plucked all of the discarded limbs from their scattered places and brought them to the pile. The wolf rain a nail across a select branch, a spark flickering to life and sending the pile into a ten foot tall blaze in a matter of seconds. I wasn't aware wood could still catch fire in the rain, but as I looked closer, I realized that the angels themselves were flammable. They were bringing about their own cremation.

With a sudden jolt of fear, I realized the wolf was watching me again, inching towards me once more. I kept backing away, further and further before tripping over a thick black root, the back of my shorts catching on the limbs and yanking me to the ground. I stayed propped up on one elbow, watching as the wolf limped its way towards me, standing over me until it was straddling me on all fours, my body laying directly under its torso.

It growled, staring off into the trees as if challenging anyone else who dare cross it. I glanced over my shoulder, making sure we wouldn't have any more visitors before something started to shift above me. I furrowed my eyebrows, watching as the wolf bowed its head, whimpering lightly as it grew smaller and smaller, patches of fur seeming to disappear bit by bit.

The silver fur grew shorter and shorter, lying flat until it was nothing but a dark grey coat that slowly but surely began turning a very familiar shade of copper. I could not see the face, but the top of the head grew smaller, the grey fur turning into a mat of black, spiky hair, paws and limbs being replaced with feet and rippling muscles and arms and toes.

Paul Lahote was on all fours above me, wedged in between my legs, leaning on his hands for support. He looked up slowly, his cheek matted with runny blood, his eyes dark and fearful as he stared at me.

"You…" I breathed softly, unsure of what to say. I thought I had lost him, when he was the one protecting me. I wanted to hold him. Kiss him. Do him, seeing as he was already naked.

"What's up…Princess…." He breathed, panting as he hung his head once more. His left shoulder buckled as he groaned, a bone seeming to snap itself back into place. Tears were already rimming my eyes, and I was grateful for the rain, because if he'd seen how much I was crying I'd never hear the end of it.

"How could you be so stupid?" I breathed hoarsely. I grabbed his face in my hands. "You could've died!"

"I'm….Haley….I'm so sorry…." He fell against his newly fixed shoulder and rolled over on his back, closing his eyes as the rain attempted to wash away all of the blood and dirt, small, filthy streams running along his legs and torso.

It took me an hour to drag/carry him back into the house. I kicked through the back door, pulling his warm, heavy body towards the bathroom as a trail of dirt and blood followed closely behind us. I left him on the bathroom floor and threw off my jacket immediately, running hot bathwater in the tub and running to the back door, locking it three different times and flipping off the lights before going back to Paul.

Hauling him into the bathtub was even harder than getting him to the house. We sat there in silence for a few moments, me scrubbing away all the dirt and blood, only to find that each and every injury had healed itself, leaving a small pink scar at the most. It only took a couple minutes for the shaking to start.

I looked around, toothpaste and face wash rattling onto the floor, the cabinets shaking lightly, the water rippling so furiously that I knew immediately where it was coming from.

Paul shot out of the water and I flew backwards, scrambling until I was pressed up against the vanity counters, practically sitting in the sink as he roared, the bathtub cracked to all Hell, water leaking out onto the beige tile floors as he pulled himself across the water, steam rushing all over his body as he lay face first on the floor, panting, shaking, looking like he was a ticking time bomb about to explode. I squeaked, covering my mouth immediately as he looked up at me, his eyes fearful and darker than I'd ever seen them.

His lip began to quiver slightly. And then Paul Lahote did something I'd never thought I'd see in a million years.

He began to cry. First in restrained, silent, panting tears, and then as I slid down the counter, kneeling in front of him and tilting his chin up with my fingers, short, breathy sobs, each filled with such sorrow and shame and hurt that I started to cry too.

It seemed like the more he went, the more he shook, and we went through waves of it. First he'd shudder, then cry, then cry _and _shudder, then growl in frustration, angry with himself, then cry again, and finally it got so painful that every ounce of my pride flew out of the window and I pulled his face onto my thighs, stroking his hair and sitting cross-legged so that I could lay my cheek against his. We sat like that for a while, just crying and screaming and holding each other so furiously that I hadn't even realized his shaking had stopped. My mind flashed to the night before, how he had so selflessly taken care of me, and his words echoed in my head, tumbling across my lips before I could stop them.

"I know Baby, I now," I whispered, squeezing my eyes closed as a tear slid down my cheek. "Just hang in there. It'll be over soon."


	12. Home Is Where You Are

**Your Song-Ellie Goulding**

* * *

She was the empty space in my heart that I hadn't even recognized was there. Her face, her voice, the way she looked at me with judgeless eyes. She was it. She was what I needed.

The morning after the bathroom incident, I'd woken up with her pressed against my back, shivering from the cold. I didn't know whether to be pissed or grateful, seeing as last night she'd promised to get off the sleeping bag on the floor with me and go back into the bed after I'd fallen asleep. I brushed a curl off of her cheek, smiling lightly at her flushed face, her mouth parted lightly as she took in slow steady gusts of air.

Before I even knew what I was doing, I pressed my lips against hers as softly as I could.

She felt right for me. Her lips slid perfectly over mine, the texture so smooth and sweet that it took all of me not to deepen the kiss. I pulled away before getting too overwhelmed, pressing my lips against both of her cheeks and chin, scooping her up as I stood to my feet. I set her down in the sheets she seemed to love so much, watching her for a minute before walking away and closing the door.

I leaned against the front doorframe, letting the cool, clean morning air wash over me, rain treading lightly through the mud. I felt pure. I felt like I was whole again, maybe not because she loved me, or needed me, no….I wouldn't need any of that now. She _saw _me, saw right through me even, understanding all and every part of me and even at my lowest point she held me and told me I would make it out okay. The only reason I believed her was because I was in her arms.

I could handle just being friends. I could handle her just being there, not necessarily mine, not necessarily belonging to anybody else either. I just wanted her…._around, _and now that she was, and I was sure she wasn't going anywhere, I felt like I could breathe for the first time in seven years.

Every night was the same. She'd insist I slept in the bed with her, and I'd pretend to be deaf, curling up on the sleeping bag. Every morning she was next to me, or holding me, or slowly rubbing her thumb over my fingers as she drifted between being asleep and being awake. We didn't have to talk. She didn't pry, didn't ask too many questions unless I pointedly prompted them, and whenever I'd ask her a question, she was honest. There was nothing she felt like she had to hide. The past weekhad been heaven on Earth.

I felt happy. I felt like I could float. I didn't think I could get any luckier- until a pair of slender, caramel colored fingers grabbed a hold of my shoulder and turned me around. The other hand found my face and cupped it, pulling my lips to hers.

*Haley*

I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it was waking up without him next to me that bothered me the most. Maybe it was the empty feeling I got when I stretched out my fingers, finding nothing but an unoccupied sleeping bag. Whatever it was, it was churning inside me, prickling like acid underneath the surface of my skin, stinging so badly that the only way to relieve my pain was by finding his lips and claiming them.

I took no time in spinning him around and crushing my mouth to his, standing on my tippy toes to reach the perfect height for him. He wrapped his warm hands around my waist, pulling me tightly to his body. His lips were hungry for mine, and I felt more wanted than I'd ever felt before in my entire life, heat exploding in the center of my chest and spreading all the way to my toes.

"Stop," Paul pleaded, nearly choking on his words as he pushed me away a centimeter. "Please, Haley, stop. You don't want thi-"

"I want _you._" I said sternly, swatting his hand away from my torso so that I could get closer to him again.

Paul did not hesitate after that. He found my hips, his tongue running warmly down the length of my neck as I breathed out heavily, a moan escaping my lips before I could stop it. Paul looked at me in complete shock and awe before going back at it, gripping my backside and heaving me upwards, pulling me to him as I wrapped my legs around his hips.

"I love you," he murmured in between kisses. "Haley I love you."

I looked at him, his eyes locking fearfully on mine. I understood it. Why he always looked like he was afraid of me, why he always seemed to bend at my will, regardless of whether or not he argued with me about it. He _loved _me, ME, Haley Purser, was a girl who was loved, and although I found myself in a pit of self-loathing for trusting so easily, I simply couldn't help myself. Not with him looking at me like I was the sun itself.

I kissed him again, this one heavier and deeper, slightly pleading. I wanted him so badly it almost hurt. If he were to disappear, I'd have to kill myself or find him, those were the only two options I was able to sort through as he pushed me against the wall in the hallway, my legs still tightly wrapped around him as I pulled his shirt over his head, trailing my fingers down his warm, glistening copper chest, my heart racing a million miles per hour.

Paul practically ripped my shorts off as I fell against his bed, my hair sprawling out all around me in a mass of dark tumbling curls, my fingers tugging at the sheets as his lips worked their way down my torso and across my hipbone, my entire body shuddering as he nudged my thighs open, his tongue grazing across my core. I tangled my fingers in his hair as he worked, my body growing hotter and hotter with every swirl of his tongue, goosebumps raising on my arms as every nerve inside of me exploded.

My breathing was the loudest sound in the room, my toes curling as Paul held my hips down with firm warm hands, his mouth lost below me, my back arching as I cried out for him, every ounce of stress in my system releasing in one exploding rushing river. I slumped back into the sheets, still panting as he continued kissing my legs, his warm lips pressing softly against my skin over and over again, until his cheek was resting just below my ribs, his thumb rubbing back and forth over the same spot repeatedly, silence washing over us.

"Let's not go home," I whispered quietly, stroking his hair. "Can we just stay here forever? Make this a new home."

"Home is wherever you are." Paul said quietly after a brief pause. I believed him. And I wanted to stay here forever, never regretting anything, always living in the moment, being able to breathe and sleep and hold and touch and kiss whenever I wanted. No Jackson. No YaYa. No wolfpack. Just us. The moment was perfect, crystal clear and clean with the summer morning.

And then the side of our house exploded.


	13. The Part I Remember

**Dethroned- XRay Dog**

**Battle- Steve Jablonsky**

* * *

Paul moved first. He rolled me over the king sized mattress, large chunks of wood splintering all over the room as I snatched my underwear from the floor and yanked them on.

"Move!" he ordered, pushing me out of the room. I sprinted halfway down the hallway, the bathtub shoving its way through the wall and blocking my path so quickly that I fell into it, my legs getting scratched up by the broken edges from Paul's incident a few nights earlier.

"Haley!" he screamed as the left side of the house caved in, the entire cabin shifting lopsided. The house was literally sinking into the ground.

I threw my arms out for Paul as the bathtub slid down the hall, taking me with it-further and further away from him. A woman with short, spiky red hair and pointy features danced above me, twirling in the air as she sprung into the kitchen. The angels were back. I turned back to Paul, his face mortified as the bathtub continued to slide down and down and down, taking me closer to the ground with it.

For the first time in my life, I witnessed something truly spectacular. Paul practically exploded out of his skin, his clothes flittering to the sinking floor in tatters, my large, silver protector standing in his place. He snarled, sliding down the wood on all fours like some kind of superhero until three unimaginably beautiful demons tackled him from the side, all of them tumbling into his parents' old room.

I caught hold of the doorframe to the kitchen, my body ripping free of the porcelain tub, my legs dangling freely as I clung to the banister, watching the ceramic death wagon shatter into millions of pieces only seconds later. I heaved myself upwards, crawling onto the wall of the kitchen, which now felt like a floor thanks to our lovely visitors. The walls were creaking, thick, sparking wires hanging dangerously free from the ceiling. For a moment, it reminded me of the garage.

Paul crashed into me, whirling me around and pinning me against the wall just as the fridge snapped free of the wall, sliding effortlessly across the kitchen and crashing against the wall in the exact same place where I'd been standing.

"Oh God, how we are truly sorry."

I turned, the wind whipping my hair around my face as Paul stood in front of me, snarling like he had in the forest. Jackson stood at the top of the hill in the backyard, the lightening flickering across his pale skin. This time I was not afraid.

"Keep running Haley," he called to me, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. "As long as your blood is still pumping, I can still find you."

Paul snarled again.

"The water," I murmured to him, his ear flickering in subtle response. "If we can get to the water he won't be able to catch our scent."

Paul whined. I know he didn't like the idea of splitting up, but there was no way in Hell the both of us would live if we stuck together at this point. We didn't have enough time to truly decide anyways. Jackson's angels were pouring out of the trees now, all of their eyes set on Paul with a hatred I couldn't even begin to comprehend.

He pushed me to the side with his hind legs, giving me a quick head start, although I knew it wouldn't last long. As I looked over my shoulder, Paul began ripping cords from the walls, fire sparking viciously around the kitchen, the vampires all hissing, recoiling away from the yellow curtains of flame.

I ran as fast as my feet could take me. The second I was outside, I knew exactly where I was going, following the current of the flood water, the dirt and slop and rain splattering my bare legs as I fled through the trees with nothing but Paul Lahote's light blue button down T-shirt on. Classy.

After some time, the water became thicker, heavier, so deep that I was crawling on all fours, unable to stand up straight although my life desperately depended on it. I didn't have to be a genius to know that the rain would be carrying my scent everywhere. Safety was beneath the surface, but there still wasn't enough water to ensure my life after today. I crawled as quickly as I could, relief washing over me as a howl split through the air, Paul's silver body slinking next to the canyon along with me as I ran.

He dove into the river behind me, nudging me upwards and wedging himself underneath me.

Oh my God. I was riding a werewolf.

He bounded through the trees faster than I ever could, hackles and screeches rising in the air behind us. We didn't have a whole lot of time on our hands. I clung to Paul's fur as the trees started to bleed together, blending and blurring like we were traveling faster than time until we finally exploded through a hoard of bushes, nothing but the sound of a thousand waves crashing against the jagged rocks hundreds of feet below us.

"WHOA, NO, NO, NO, NO," I cried, desperately trying to scramble off of his back. "I CAN'T GO DOWN THOSE, I CAN'T DO IT."

Paul didn't listen. He nipped at my ankles, forcing me back onto his shoulders, and finally, he leapt.


End file.
